Sri Lankan officials and Tamil Tiger rebels spent their first round of peace talks in eight months trading accusations in Geneva on Saturday amid few expectations for progress and a resurgence of violence.
While a cease-fire remains officially in place in Sri Lanka, up to 1,000 people have been killed in army offensives and rebel attacks since decades-old hostilities flared up again in July in the country of 20 million people.
The government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been under rising pressure to address the violence and humanitarian strains caused by their ongoing conflict over rebel demands for an independent homeland for minority Tamils.
In their first face-to-face meeting since February, which began with a handshake between Sri Lankan Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Tiger chief negotiator S.P. Thamilselvan, envoys blamed each other for the fresh fighting. "The (government of Sri Lanka) has now entered into an undeclared war," Thamilselvan said in his opening remarks.
"The best we can hope from the current talks ... is the strengthening of the cease-fire agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace in this island," he said.
De Silva slammed the Tigers for recent attacks including last week's killing of more than 100 people when an explosives-laden truck slammed into a naval convoy.
"The violence and endless carnage unleashed by the LTTE ... show a high degree of brutality and complete disregard to human conduct," de Silva said.
Erik Solheim, Norway's international development minister who is facilitating the two-day talks, told the delegations that patience for the conflict was wearing thin among most Sri Lankans and the broader diplomatic community.
Noting that killings, disappearances and humanitarian strains have escalated markedly since their last such meeting, Solheim said it was essential to cool the conflict.
"Even at the most difficult times there is need for dialogue," Solheim said. Merely an agreement to hold more talks after the meetings would be considered a success, but even that may be difficult. The Tigers have threatened to shun future talks if the government does not agree to open a main highway to the north of the country, whose closure has caused food and fuel shortages.
The government, which has been sending supplies to the isolated region by ship and aircraft, has not said whether it will agree to discuss the highway issue in the Geneva meetings, due to end Sunday evening.
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